Apple could give the iPhone 17’s display a big anti-reflective update. A new rumor says the 2025 iPhone might feature a “super-hard anti-reflective layer,” which is also more scratch-resistant.
Seemingly, Apple will use a new layer of coating on the glass to reduce the reflection and increase scratch resistance.
A flurry of iPhone market outlook reports shows Apple’s juggernaut handset is still the top-seller in Japan while slipping to fourth place in China so far in 2024. And that comes as Apple lowers component shipment targets for the year amid supply chain challenges, pointing to a possibly down year.
Getting 2nm processors into Mac and iPhone is reportedly proceeding as scheduled, and TSMC will begin making these in 2025.
The on-schedule progress report comes as very good news. Especially considering that the Taiwanese chipmaker ran into significant delays developing the 3nm processors currently in use.
December 11, 2013: A Chinese labor rights group calls on Apple to investigate the deaths of several workers at a Shanghai factory run by iPhone manufacturer Pegatron.
Most controversially, one of the dead workers is just 15 years old. The underage worker reportedly succumbed to pneumonia after working extremely long hours on the iPhone 5c production line.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest MacBook rumor sounds enticing, but will it come true? It’s time to speculate. Meanwhile, the real fire talk is all about that big, toasty iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple’s iOS 17 update fixes the overheating problem. (Frankly, “Thermalgate” seems about as overblown as “Printgate.”)
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
Apple and the companies assembling the iPhone 15 reportedly worked through all the significant production problems they faced making the next iOS handsets. They supposedly faced issues with the cameras, LCDs, batteries and titanium frame in upcoming models
After clearing those hurdles, the four models in the iPhone 15 series are now set for the launch that’s almost certainly happening in September.
Despite earlier reports that customers might have to wait additional weeks for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, a trusted analyst says the companies in Asia assembling Apple’s top-tier handset will begin mass shipments this week.
It and three other iPhone 15 versions are expected to hit store shelves near the end of September, as usual.
Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn reportedly already started assembling the upcoming iPhone 15 in India. This marks the first time a yet-to-launch iPhone is being produced outside of China.
Last year, iPhone 14 production started in India within a month of the phone going on sale.
June 15, 2011: Three people get sentenced to prison in China for leaking information about the iPad 2 prior to its release.
The Foxconn R&D employees receive sentences ranging from one year to 18 months. They also must pay fines between $4,500 and $23,000. If you ever wonder why more Apple products don’t leak prior to release, this might help explain why!
The first company to assemble iPhone in India is reportedly getting out of the business. Wistron is selling the plant where it puts together Apple handsets to Tata Group, an Indian multinational based in Mumbai.
At the same time, Foxconn and Pegatron continue to grow their commitments to manufacturing iPhones in India.
Apple reportedly looks to manufacture microLED displays on its own for future iPhones. The move will help the company reduce its reliance on Samsung Display.
Cupertino currently sources the majority of OLED panels for its devices from Samsung. LG Display is Apple’s other key OLED supplier.
Perhaps the best phrase to describe the results of Apple’s most recent financial quarter is, “It could have been worse.” Total revenue dropped 3% as the company battled inflation and other macroeconomic problems not of its making.
Still, Apple’s quarterly numbers beat the overly pessimistic Wall Street estimates. And there is more good news buried in the results Apple reported Thursday (and in the company’s earnings call with investors). Read on for five reasons to be optimistic about Apple’s future.
Quaclomm CEO Cristiano Amon says he thinks Apple’s in-house modem could be ready in 2024, presumably for use inside the iPhone 16 series. The CEO’s comments came Monday during an interview on the show floor at MWC 2023, a massive tech trade show in Barcelona, Spain.
Qualcomm, the chipmaker that supplies the 5G modems in all iPhones, on Wednesday unveiled the X75, its next-generation modem that will be the first to support 5G Advanced. This emerging cellular-wireless standard will give a speed boost to cellular-wireless networks and make mobile VR/AR more practical.
The X75 probably will be used in the iPhone 16 when it launches in 2024.
Although Apple’s December 2022 quarter was something of a disappointment, thanks to declines in revenue and profits, company executives accentuated the positives whenever possible during an earnings call with investors on Thursday.
Here are some upbeat developments coming out of Apple’s Q1 2023 financial results, including a significant milestone in active users and a big jump in iPad revenue.
Protests at a Foxconn plant in China where the two iPhone 14 Pro models are assembled will allegedly cut deeply into the supply of these handsets. Millions of units that would have been produced in 2022 without the protests supposedly now will not be.
Workers clashed with police during recent COVID-19 lockdowns at the plant, known as “iPhone City” due to its strategic importance to Apple.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest iPhone 15 rumors make it sound like we’re getting some major changes on the design front. And, while the switch from Lightning to USB-C sounds like a winner, Apple might pull one of its irritating tricks by making a handy feature exclusive to the iPhone Pro models next year.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
This is absolutely your last chance to get forgetful Eron’s ridiculous CultCloth deal! These are the only cleaning cloths you need!
Days after reports of Foxconn employees hopping fences and fleeing from their jobs, a report late Wednesday from Taiwan News says Apple’s biggest iPhone factory is now on “total lockdown.” These new restrictions may have a big impact on Apple’s sales during the crucial holiday period.
Foxconn, whom Apple contracts to manufacture the lion’s share of iPhones, Macs and other Apple products, has had employees stay in on-site dormitories in a “closed-loop system” to prevent COVID outbreaks. Employees have been complaining about the “increasingly unsafe and inhumane working conditions” of the dorms.
Three of the new iPhone 14 series models first reach customers on September 16, but not the iPhone 14 Plus. That’s on hold for three extra weeks.
Apple didn’t explain the delay, but an analyst has the likely reason why: Cupertino can’t get enough of a critical component.
Apple seemingly diversified its supply chain by adding a new component supplier for the iPhone 14 lineup. Chinese company SG Micro has acquired the necessary certifications to supply components for the high-end iPhone 14 Pro series.
The move comes as Apple looks to avoid disruptions in its supply chain due to external factors.
The lockdown in Shanghai and nearby regions, and China’s strict zero-COVID policy, have forced Apple to move some iPad production out of the country and to Vietnam for the first time.
The company already expects to take an $8 billion revenue hit in the ongoing quarter due to supply chain disruptions caused by the Chinese lockdowns.
Wait times for some Macs now stretch into August. Apple manufacturer Quanta Computer simply can’t assemble enough units to meet demand, as its workers revolt at lengthy COVID-19 lockdowns.
The delays caused by the lockdowns, enforced by the Chinese government in an attempt to control the spread of the highly transmissible disease, are not just irritating to customers, though. Apple predicts the problem will mean an $8 billion hit to its revenue.
New video out of China shows workers at a MacBook assembly plant in Shanghai fighting with security guards. The Quanta Computer employees have been forced to live at their workplace for weeks amidst COVID-19 lockdowns ordered by the Chinese government.
The workers apparently hoped to leave the facility to go shopping.
Everyone waiting for a new MacBook Pro to be delivered can take heart from a report that Quanta Computer has restarted assembling Apple notebooks. This comes after its assembly plant in Shanghai had been temporarily closed as part of the Chinese government’s attempts to slow the spread of COVID-19.
In the meantime, though, wait times for top-tier MacBooks now stretch into July.
People who ordered a top-tier MacBook Pro in February are being notified that it won’t be delivered until June. The delay results from COVID-19 lockdowns in China hampering notebook assembly.
New orders also face delays of several months, making a refurbished 2021 MacBook Pro a better option for some buyers.
